


Just Tell the Truth, You Won't Admit It

by llostt_in_ttranslationn



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: But it's okay, Drug Use, F/F, but it'll have a happy ending i swear, hella angsty at some points, tobin's a little fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-05 01:01:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15158981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llostt_in_ttranslationn/pseuds/llostt_in_ttranslationn
Summary: Christen is a nurse, she fixes people. Hopefully Tobin isn't broken beyond repair.





	1. it's kinda fine

**Author's Note:**

> Since so many of you encouraged me to explore this idea, I did! And I really like where I think I can bring it. I won't forget about my other two stories though, don't worry! Enjoy!
> 
> edit: I combined the first few chapter so this males more sense, so reread it if you already read the original.

"Tobin? Did you hear me?"

Tobin closes her eyes and shakes her head rapidly, as if it might allow her to remove the words from her brain somehow.

"I-" She doesn't know how to finish her sentence. "Why?"

"Why, what? Tobin, you look like you're going to pass out."

Tobin feels like she might. This is not how she thought her Saturday night would go. She's got a huge, important party to be at really fucking soon. She doesn't have time for this news. And she certainly doesn't have time to think about what this will mean for her future.

"I gotta go, Whit. I can't do this right now," Tobin begins to search for her keys, feeling frustrated when she doesn't spot them immediately.

They aren't hanging up by the door or thrown on the coffee table, and by the time Tobin has searched the cushions of the couch and in her bedroom, she realizes they've been in her pocket the entire time.

"Tobin!"

"What?" Tobin makes sure she has her phone, as well, and it just so happens to be in her other pocket.

"You can't avoid this. This is real. This is a hundred times more important than that party later," Whitney grabs onto Tobin's arm firmly. "Tobin, you're gonna have a kid living with you."

"Nope," Tobin shakes her head. "Tell them to give him to someone else. I don't want him."

Whitney frowns. "I can't- How can you even say that, Tobin? That's- ugh! Fine, go! Just go."

Tobin ignores how hurt and annoyed Whitney clearly is in favor of checking that her wallet is tucked in her back pocket.

She doesn't exactly slam the front door of her apartment as she leaves, but she closes it a little harsher than probably necessary.

"Toooooobin!" it doesn't take long for Alex to find Tobin when she enters the packed club that's blasting with music and filled with rowdy people.

"You clearly started without me," Tobin says, reaching a hand out to steady the other woman as she sways back and forth on her feet.

Alex just giggles. "Come get a drink with me," she begins to drag Tobin by the arm towards the bar, not waiting for Tobin to agree.

Alex takes it upon herself to order two shots of tequila for each of them, as well as some fruity drink for herself, and a whiskey on the rocks for Tobin.

Half and hour and two drinks later, Tobin is buzzing. She's chatting up some dizty blonde who's name she doesn't know, but who definitely knows who Tobin is judging by the way she's doing everything she can to get Tobin's attention in her very revealing dress. Tobin's not complaining.

"Tobs, wanna head to the back with me?" Megan Rapinoe steps in, and Tobin nods eagerly, following after the woman without so much as a goodbye to the blonde at the bar.

The back lounge is a little quieter than the main part of the club, but the bass can still be felt humming through the dimly lit, hazy room.

Tobin dodges her way through to the couch in the back where Alex and their good friend Allie are sitting at, laughing loudly about something that's most certainly stupid.

"Once again you started without me," Tobin grumbles in fake annoyance, plopping herself down in between the two women.

"Oopsies," Alex giggles. "We can change that though. Allie, hook her up, would ya?"

Tobin takes this time to look around the room, mostly seeing the usual crowd that ends up in the VIP area of whatever club or bar they end up at.

She's not surprised that she can't spot Ashlyn or Heather there at all. They're too clean cut for what goes on back here.

The only thing Tobin cuts these days are lines. Which Allie has graciously done for her, passing her a straw with a smirk. "Now the party can really start."

Tobin leans down towards the table, plugging one nostril and inhaling deeply while she drags the straw in a straight line down the white powder on the tabletop.

"Woo!" Alex cheers, throwing an arm across Tobin's shoulders and tugging her closer.

Tobin takes a deep breath, enjoying the burn that she knows will make her feel above the clouds really soon.

A few drinks later, Alex is practically in Tobin's lap. Tobin is too far gone to remember that they most certainly should _not_ be doing this.

She can deal with Heather and Whitney's disappointed looks tomorrow, but right now the way Alex is nipping at her neck is making her feel a certain way that only the blue-eyed woman can seem to do.

"Wanna get outta here?" Tobin completes her question with a low moan as Alex sucks on a particularly sensitive part of Tobin's collarbone.

Alex doesn't respond verbally, but she pushes herself up off the couch and tugs Tobin with her. "Byeee Alllllie!"

Tobin isn't sure if the blonde responds, but she doesn't care. All she cares about right now is getting Alex naked in her bed.

There's paparazzi outside the club like always, and Tobin is sure pictures of her and Alex stumbling out of the club together entirely too close will be plastered on the front pages of a bunch of magazines tomorrow, but that's Whitney's problem to explain away.

The town car that pulls up for them is driven by Tobin's very discreet driver who doesn't say anything through the partition as Tobin and Alex start their foreplay in the backseat. He just drops them off outside Tobin's apartment without a word, waiting until they get to the door before driving away.

Tobin has Alex pinned against the wall of the elevator as it rises up to Tobin's floor. She enjoys the way Alex's mouth tastes like whatever brightly coloured, fruity flavoured vodka drink Alex had been sipping on.

Her apartment is a bit dingy, and she could afford so much better, but for a place she's barely at, and totally off the public's radar, it's amazing to her and has everything necessary.

Her bed is really nice though, and that's basically all that matters when Tobin all but shoves Alex down onto the bed so she can climb on top of her and pin her down as she bites the spot where Alex's jaw meets her neck. She revels in the whimper it elicits from Alex.

The rest of the night is a bit of a blur for Tobin, too hopped up to focus, but she remembers the way it felt to have Alex's fingers inside of her while her tongue worked at Tobin's clit simultaneously. And she remembers the sounds she got Alex to make when she left a trail of hickeys down her stomach to where Alex really wanted Tobin's mouth to be.

Unfortunately, Tobin wakes up to a ranting Whitney, causing her head to pound almost immediately.

"Tobin, do you know what you've done here? You're in all the magazines. Bullshit stories and speculations all over twitter. You two are so careless. And stupid! You're little sexcapades are so dangerous to the band. Just because your breakup was 'amicable' doesn't mean that you can't fuck the dynamic up by fucking!"

"Shh..." Alex grumbles from next to Tobin, whining at her headache.

"Relax, Whitney... Everything's chill," Tobin drawls, still not completely awake. "You and Cheney and ARod have us covered... And us messing around is none of your business anyways."

Whitney sighs, moving on to another topic to harass Tobin about. "I've signed up for viewings for a couple of apartments today. You can't have your little brother staying _here_. Not in this horrendous shoebox."

"Exactly, because he won't be living here."

"Tobin, it said explicitly in your father's will that you take full custody of Jeff. So that's what you're going to do," Whitney tells her. "Now get your ass up and showered, the first apartment tour is in an hour," Whitney turns around and strides out of the room.

"Fuck!" Tobin groans. Why the fuck did this have to happen right now? She just wants to sleep off her hangover.

She takes a quick, ice cold shower after popping three ibuprofen pills and brushing her teeth to get the gross taste out.

When she enters the kitchen only a short time later, Whitney hands her a cup of coffee, black with three sugars, just how Tobin likes it. But she doesn't give Tobin much time to drink it, ushering her out the door after only a few minutes, shouting for Alex to get up on their way out.

Tobin entertains Whitney's questions and prodding for the first two apartments, but she's bored out of her mind by the third, and she's glad that there is only one more after the blandness of the third one.

She'll admit, she likes the building the fourth one is in. It's a little less fancy than the other three, and she has a feeling Whitney chose to visit this one last for a reason.

The apartment itself is spacious, but not overwhelming large like one of the other three was. It's got neutral colors with little accent pops here and there. Everything is fully furnished already and has up-to-date appliances. There's three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as a bonus little office space, with an open concept for the kitchen and dining room, while the living room is a bit closed off and the hallway to two of the bedrooms is secluded. The third stems off the smaller hallway on the other side of the living room, and Tobin appreciates that, as well as the fact the office is right next to the master, which has an en-suite.

If Whit is really gonna force her to take in her baby brother, there's no way she's sharing a wall with him like when they were little.

When they get back in the car after the final tour, Tobin lets out a huff when Whitney asks her which one she prefers.

"I think you already know."

Whitney smirks. "I'll put in a call when I get back to my office."

"You're obnoxious," Tobin grumbles.

"Love you too, Tobs," Whitney chuckles.

When Tobin gets back to her apartment it's already late in the afternoon. Alex is nowhere to be found, which is probably for the better.

She's so drained. If she's honest, she's been perpetually exhausted for the last six months during their world tour that only concluded a month or so ago. That's why she's been getting high more and more recently. It's the only thing that's gotten her through the late night shows night after night, that and the caffeine supplements. Her sleeping pills are the only thing that's gotten her to sleep at all.

But she's gotta keep everything quiet even from her fellow band members. Alex might be the only one who relates even a little, but even she doesn't need the pick-me-ups quite as much. Heather will do it for "special occasions" but that's about it other than her steady alcohol intake when they go out regularly. And Tobin hasn't seen Ashlyn high off anything other than weed and whiskey, with her family history of addiction and all.

Tobin doesn't usually have anything with her at home, other than some weed for taking the edge off. But she snagged some coke from the party the previous night and she's seriously considering having some, but instead she pops a couple sleeping pills, chased by some wine in hopes to lull herself into a deep sleep until the next day.

Its only as Tobin is getting comfortable in bed that she realizes she hadn't eaten anything all day. She'll keep that a secret from her friends and managers as well.

Tobin is in no way ready to care for another person at all, but at this point she doesn't really have a choice. That's The way her life has seemed to be going lately.

She wishes she'd be able to have some control over any part of her life. Something just for her that isn't broadcasted to the entire world for everyone to scrutinize. Maybe having the next few months with hardly any big social events for chill badass Tobin Heath to be at will be good for her. The band's got a little lull where they're expected to pump out their third full length album and be ready for another massive tour in ten months, with smaller appearances and performances littered around those months that are supposedly "stress free."

Tobin is even more exhausted just thinking about it. That's about the time she passes out and succumbs to the tumultuous night of sleep she's sure to have.

"So, I booked your flight for five o'clock tonight, and I already packed your bag," Whitney informs Tobin shortly after waking her up for the second day in a row.

"Where 'm I goin'?" Tobin questions, blinking slowly to try and figure out where she is supposed to be going and if she forgot.

"Jersey. Heather said she'd go with you."

"Why?" Tobin tilts her head in confusion.

"Tobin, you have to go to your dad's funeral," Whitney says, as if it's something Tobin should have already known.

"Uh, no I don't," Tobin shakes her head. No way is she dealing with her extended family sobbing over that asshole.

"Yes. You're going to stay for a couple days while Jeff packs all his stuff up and it can be shipped out to your new apartment. I'll be overseeing all of your things getting moved there as well, and that's where you'll go when you get back," Tobin only half listens to Whitney's spiel.

Tobin just huffs. There's really no use in arguing with Whit. It's literally her job to order Tobin around.

At least she won't be going alone. Maybe she'll thank Heather, maybe she'll act like she's too cool for that.

Right after Whitney leaves, Tobin rolls a joint and smokes while she watches some soccer game on the television. She needs something to take the edge off and distract her from the impending doom she's going to face very soon.

At least Whitney packed for her so she doesn't have to worry about that and it won't add anymore stress. Though knowing Whitney, Tobin isn't going to like anything she packed. Tobin's too relaxed to care though, and she ends up slipping into a nap until there's a loud knock on the front door a few hours later and then it swings open.

Heather frowns at her for a moment. "C'mon, Tobs. Grab your bag."

Tobin does as she's told, silently collecting the duffle Whitney packed, as well as her travel backpack that she keeps packed just so she doesn't forget her passport and travel chargers and things like that.

With one last check to make sure she has her keys, phone, and wallet, Tobin follows Heather out the door.

The drive to the airport is silent. Heather seems to know that Tobin doesn't want to talk. And she hadn't even noticed that one of the band's "bodyguards" was in the front seat until he got out with the girls.

"Dom? You're coming, too?" Tobin asks, surprised.

He nods. "Whit didn't want you ladies to be going alone."

Tobin shrugs. She's sure Whitney sent him and Heather as some sort of babysitters, but she won't complain. The company can't hurt, especially since they've been quiet.

Tobin hates airports. She's used to them by now, after countless hours spent in waiting areas and in lines and on planes. That doesn't make her like them at all though. She'd never admit it, but it gives her anxiety. But that's ridiculous, so she keeps it to herself.

Most of the time in the airport is a bit of a blur, Tobin still a little extra chill after her time smoking earlier. She's wedged between Dom and Heather during the flight, but she doesn't actually mind it. It gives her a sense of comfort. And that allows her to fall asleep for her second nap of the day.

She had forgotten about the three hour time difference, so arriving after one in the morning was a bit of a shock. It's a bit disorienting, but Dom and Heather seem to be just fine with leading her around, so she lets them drag her to a car to take them to whatever hotel they'll be staying at. Tobin just hopes they each have their own room.

She loses track of how long they're in the car, but her wish comes true and she settles in her single room with a quiet goodbye to her two tired friends.

Unluckily, Tobin's two naps have left her wide awake, and she figures there's no point in trying to get any sleep tonight.

An idea pops into her head, and before she can talk herself out of it, she's sending a text and heading out the door, creeping past Heather and Dom's rooms so they don't catch her.

She walks to an all night diner that's only a couple blocks from the hotel. This used to be her old stomping ground back in the day. The owners were a nice aging couple that had inherited it from one of their parents. Tobin hooked up with one of their daughters from time to time, and tonight, it was just a couple teenagers and a woman Tobin vaguely recognized who were working.

She orders the strongest cup of coffee they have, and sits in a booth in the corner. There are only a couple college students who look stressed with the cramming they must be doing, so the diner is quiet, but bright.

It's not long before someone else enters the diner, heading to the counter to order a milkshake before turning and going straight to Tobin's table.

"Little T," He smirks, reaching his hand out to clap it against Tobin's lightly.

"Mikey, glad you could make it," Tobin greets.

"Oh yeah, anything for an old pal. I was out at a bar anyways," He shrugs.

"Lemme pay you back for that milkshake since you came out so late," Tobin announces, pulling out some cash and handing it over to Mike.

"Thanks dude," Mike checks it out, seeing clearly that it's more than the few bucks his drink was.

They chat for a little, enough time to finish their drinks and not seem suspicious.

Tobin gives him a quick hug by before they walk out, and when she reaches her hand in her sweatshirt pocket on the way back, she feels a cool plastic that wasn't there on her walk their. She smirks, keeping a loose grip on it as she enters the quiet hotel lobby, sending a short nod to the concierge at the front desk before boarding the elevator.

She doesn't wait long to pull out the little baggie after sneaking back into her room.

Tobin tears a sheet of the paper from the little notebook in the bedside table drawer and places it down on the table next to her credit card and the plastic baggie.

She dumps a bit of the white powder out on the table, using the card to push it into a neat little line, before tucking the baggie in an inner pocket of her backpack.

She rolls up the piece of paper into a little cylinder. She lines it up on the table hovering just over one end of the line, leaning her head down and pressing the other end of it just barely to one of her nostrils. She uses her other hand to plug the other nostril, and then inhales deeply moving the makeshift straw quickly on the table.

Tobin contains her urge to let out a 'whoop' and instead disposes of the rolled up sheet of paper.

She digs through her backpack until she finds the journal that she uses as her lyric book, finding a pen in the bedside table's drawer.

The song is definitely _not_  about her dickwad father. Not at all. She's just high and a little pissed off at life, so it's a bit of an angry song. That's allowed. Not every song she writes has to be about hot girls in foreign countries or how she likes to get high at night in Malibu.

Tobin loses track of time as she scrawls words into her notebook, and soon, the sun is peeking in through the curtains and her watch tells her it's seven in the morning.

She's still buzzing, some mix between the drugs and the triple shot of espresso. She decides to take a cold shower to make herself look presentable when Heather shows up to get Tobin ready to go to the funeral.

She hopes Heather won't notice her bloodshot eyes, but she knows she will. She always does.

Tobin has known Heather since they were kids, and she's always been able to read Tobin like a book. She knows about Tobin's past, she knew Tobin's mother. She's the best friend Tobin could ever ask for.

And that's why she gets an ache in her chest when Heather gives her that sad knowing look when she enters Tobin's room just after eight.

"C'mon, let's go cover up the bags under your eyes," Heather says, gently pulling Tobin towards the bathroom, her little make-up bag in hand.

Tobin doesn't protest at all as Heather begins to slather cover-up and and foundation all over her face. The only other thing she does is add a light coat of mascara to Tobin's eyelashes. Tobin doesn't say anything about the fact that Heather applies waterproof make-up to her face but not to Tobin's.

The simple black dress that Tobin slips into is one she's never seen before, so she knows Whit must have bought it just for this. Heather and Dom are both wearing black as well, and they get to the funeral home at half past nine, where there's only a few other people already there.

"Toby!"

Tobin braces herself for the embrace, but Jeff's weight against her still causes her to stumble back a few steps. He's gotten so much taller than the last time she'd seen him.

"Hey Jeffy."

His eyes are bloodshot too, but definitely not for the same reason as Tobin's.

Their sisters make their way over too, both looking a little worse for wear.

Katie pulls Tobin into a hug next, but Perry just offers a stiff nod. Tobin can tell she's not happy that she never came to visit at all while their father was sick.

It's not Tobin's fault that she was sick of their father's bullshit.

Tobin stands up at the front of the room with her siblings, allowing guests to offer tight (unwanted) hugs and condolences that don't effect Tobin at all.

Stepping foot in the church a little while later forces Tobin to remember her roots.

Her family went to church every Sunday and on every holiday. Up until her mom left. Just packed up one night and deserted them all.

Perry and Katie are several years older than Tobin. Tobin knows she was her parents' try for a boy, and because she turned out to be a girl, her dad resented her a bit. At least she wasn't that last ditch effort to save her their shattered marriage like Jeff was.

Tobin's mom left before Jeff even turned one, sending cards for their birthdays for about two years before giving up. Tobin hasn't heard from her since.

Their dad tried his hardest to be a good father for a few years, but then he started to use alcohol to help himself cope. Not even the twenty-something-year-old girlfriend he got could pull him out of his slump.

He loved little Jeff the most, and he didn't hide it. Perry and Katie were old enough not to care, but Tobin's heart was shattered. Heather really stepped up and kept her in line, since she was a couple years older and definitely wiser and more mature.

She's the one who encouraged Tobin to start turning her feeling into lyrics, and they became a little two-(wo)man band of sorts.

Tobin was terrified when Heather left Jersey for college to go to UNC. Even more so when she began to talk about a couple of girls she had met and become friends with.

But when Tobin got suspended for a few days toward the end of her junior year, she took a little trip to North Carolina to stay with Heather and her roommates, who happened to be Ashlyn and Whitney.

They somehow got wrangled into joining Tobin and Heather's "band", making them a little more real. That's what it took to kick Tobin into high gear, to finish up her final year and a half of high school with high enough grades that UNC would accept her. She went to stay with the trio every chance she got, and they began writing music and practicing together, escalating even more when Tobin joined them at the school.

They got noticed one night when they were playing a gig in a bar, when Tobin was nineteen and the other three had just recently graduated. They were signed to Solo Records only months later, and soon they started to gain popularity.

They released and EP not long after they were signed. Tobin met Alex one night after a show in Los Angeles, which was quickly becoming their home base. She was at a cafè and Alex was doing a late night performance with just her acoustic guitar, and Tobin approached her afterwards, inviting her to jam with the band one day.

They gelled perfectly, and with a quick chat with the owner of their record company, Alex joined the band. Not long after, Whitney dropped out to put her business communications degree to use, become the band's manager.

Whitney actually has a couple other people she manages, but she spends the majority of her time with the band, who seem to need her the most.

Tobin also remembers how much she used to love God, more than almost anything else. And then He didn't answer her prayers to bring her mother back home and she began to drift away from her faith a bit, not going to church nearly as much, if at all.

But as she sits on a pew in the small church her family used to go to, reading the hymns she still remembers by heart, she feels the urge to rediscover her faith. That passes quickly, as she remembers the fact that God definitely wouldn't support her current life choices.

But she thinks about her old cross necklace that sits in her little jewelry box, and she considers maybe starting to wear it again.

There's a late lunch being held at her dad's old favourite restaurant, and Tobin goes because a sniffling Heather asks her too. Tobin knows she won't be able to eat.

Jeff sits next to her quietly for a long while, barely touching his plate. "Toby?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it better out in California?" He wonders softly.

"I think so," She says. "I think you'll like it there."

Tobin can't be certain of that. She barely knows her brother these days. He's fifteen and she hasn't spent much time with him for the past five or so years. He's clearly not the same ten-year-old kid she knew when she was eighteen.

"Okay," He nearly wispers, taking a bite of his pasta, chewing slowly.

Tobin is finally exhausted by the time she gets back to her hotel room in the evening.

She pops a couple sleeping pills and slips into bed.

She doesn't really want to think about the future right now, or what craziness it's going to hold for her.

She's in for a wild ride.

A couple days later when Tobin's driver picks her and Jeff up from the airport (Heather and Dom get another car), they're both nearly silent on the ride to their new apartment.

Heather and Dom took care of shipping most of Jeff's belongings the day after the funeral, but it may or may not have made it to the apartment yet.

Whitney is waiting in the lobby of the building, and smiles as she greets them both with tight hugs.

"Follow me to your new home," She says, turning to head towards the elevator.

Jeff is apprehensive when he walks into the large apartment, but when Whitney leads them to his bedroom and he sees his own belongings inside, it seems to make him feel better.

Tobin doesn't miss the fact that Jeff still has her old guitar that she gave him back when she left for college, but she doesn't mention it either.

While Jeff gets settled, Whitney leads Tobin back out to the living room.

Whitney tosses something small at Tobin, and it bounces off her and lands on the floor.

"Flush it."

Tobin looks down to see what it is. A small baggie filled with a white powder, nearly identical to the one she smuggled back from New Jersey.

"I-"

Whitney cuts Tobin off. "I don't wanna hear excuses. Flush it."

Tobin picks up the bags and trudges into the bathroom, making a big show of emptying the contents into the toilet and flushing it, tossing the bag into the trashcan in the corner on her way out.

"Happy?" She asks dryly. Whitney doesn't have to know that she has more still.

"Extremely," Whitney deadpans right back.

Tobin lets out a huff as she plops down on the couch. Whitney does the same next to her, much more graceful.

"Don't do that around him," Whitney tells her. "He doesn't deserve to see you like that."

"Aye aye captain," Tobin salutes.

"Tobin, I'm fucking serious!" Whitney snaps. "God, you're such a mess these days. Wake the fuck up! You've got an impressionable kid with you now. All he's got is you. Don't fuck him up!"

Tobin frowns, a little hurt by Whit's words. "I won't," She whispers. "I won't..."

Whitney nods, accepting Tobin's genuine answer.

She pops up after a quick look at her watch. "I've got a meeting with a new client. Be good, Tobs!"

Whitney quickly gathers her things and heads to the door. "There's food in the fridge, don't get take out."

Tobin nods. "Thanks, Whit. Love you."

"Love you too, Tobs."

And with that, Tobin's officially alone with just her kid brother.

Fuck, she's barely responsible for herself, she has no idea how to care for someone else.

Jeff comes out a while later, sitting down next to Tobin, who has yet to move.

"I missed you, Toby."

"I missed you too, Jeffy."

They sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Jeff finds the TV remote and puts on a soccer match, and then they get invested in it, just like old times.

Dinner consists of a chicken and vegetable stir-fry, one of the only things Tobin can make well.

Jeff doesn't mind it. He pours himself a glass of milk to drink with his dinner, and with a chuckle, Tobin does it for herself as well, because that's what they used to do when they were kids.

Tobin feels strange trying to sleep that night in her new room. She's glad Whitney had her old bed moved in instead of keeping the new one that was here. It's a little piece of comfort.

She only takes one sleeping pill, wanting to be able to wake up if Jeff needs her in the middle of the night.

Whitney informs Tobin a few days later that she got Jeff enrolled in some private school about twenty minutes away from their apartment, starting in the fall.

Tobin is very glad that Whitney seems to be taking control of this whole "parenting" thing, because she would have had no idea about half the things she's supposed to do for Jeff.

The whole band comes over one night, and Tobin sees Jeff laugh for the first time since they got to California.

She isn't sure what dumb joke Ashlyn must have made, but Tobin is so happy about it. She just wants the kid to have as normal of a life as possible. Even if he's already had his face plastered in magazines just for being "Tobin Heath's little brother" after the duo arrived in L.A.

She's grateful that they don't look all too much alike, because maybe he won't get noticed a lot if he isn't with her.

Tobin spots Alex trying to teach Jeff a couple songs on the keyboard, but Jeff seems to have forgotten what he learned in the piano lessons their dad had made them all take when they were younger. She grins just watching her best friends interact with her little brother.

They have an impromptu acoustic jam session in the living room and overall it's just a great time.

Tobin thinks that maybe things won't be as hard as she thought.

Whitney tells her that the band needs to go to some party celebrating the signing of her new client, and Tobin worries about what she'll do with Jeff for the night.

Luckily, Tobin's agent offers to take him for the night to hangout with her husband and baby. Tobin laughs and tells her to enjoy Ryan while he's little before he can talk and walk and cause havoc.

The dress she wears is low cut and she slips into what Alex calls her "fuck me heels" and Tobin can't really say that the description is wrong.

They end up at a bit of a lowkey club that Tobin's only been to maybe once before. But they have whiskey and a back lounge so she's all set.

Whitney intercepts Tobin on her way to the bar, leading her over to a small table where a short woman stands chatting with the most beautiful woman Tobin has ever seen.

"Kelley!" Whitney greets. "This is-"

"Tobin Heath," Kelley supplies. "Nice to meet you, dude!"

Tobin nods. "You too."

"Tobs, this is Kelley O'Hara. you may have seen her most recent movie," Whitney says.

Tobin thinks back, and she hums in recollection. She's pretty sure this chick was in some dramatic romance movie that Alex forced her to watch a couple months ago while they were on tour.

The girl next to Kelley doesn't offer any information about herself, but she smiles shyly when she catches Tobin looking at her.

And that's what lets Tobin know she isn't famous. She seems too pure, her bright eyes too soft. They're green, Tobin thinks, but it's a bit hard to tell in the dimly lit building. She must be Kelley's girlfriend or something.

Tobin doesn't linger long, eager to spend some time at the bar chatting up some bimbo and sipping on some whiskey after her customary two shots of tequila with Alex, who slips away to go flirt with one of of their security guards.

Tobin considers not going into the back lounge tonight, but Allie comes over and talks her into it. "One line isn't going to kill you!" She laughs, tugging on Tobin's arm.

She catches the gaze of Kelley's girl and sends a smirk back, knowing she must have caught the girl staring. She almost ditches Allie to try to talk to the girl, but she decides it's probably a worse idea than snorting some coke with Allie and her boyfriend.

Alex is sitting with their bodyguard Servando, probably trying to tempt him into doing a line or fucking her in the bathroom.

Tobin doesn't mind. She and Alex only screw occasionally when they both need some release. They're both free to do whatever and whoever they want at any time.

Allie goes first and Tobin follows her example before Bati does too. And after a few more minutes, Alex and Servando join the fun.

Once Tobin is sufficiently high and feeling a lot more bold, she returns to the front of the club, her mind set on talking to Kelley's girl, even if it causes drama.

The only problem is that Tobin can't spot her anywhere, and she does at least two laps of the club searching. She sighs and resigns herself to finding some hot girl to fuck instead.

Said girl comes in the form of some blonde girl who Tobin thinks she's seen before and probably slept with at some point as well.

She gets right to the point, honestly, and asks the girl if she wants to get out of there after only ten minutes at the bar together.

They catch a cab and manage to avoid the paparazzi and the woman apparently lives pretty close to the club.

Tobin never brings strangers to her apartment. She can't risk them not being drunk enough to forget where she lives. So she always charms women into taking her back to their place.

She always enjoys fucking more when she's high. All her nerves are on edge so every touch feels like fire. And it's easier to ignore the fact that she'll probably never find someone she'll have sex with out of love. One night stands are good distractions.

They don't know each other's bodies quite right, but Tobin has a few tricks that get every woman to moan and writhe in pleasure. And she's not too hard to get off when she's high, so it's a win-win really. Except if the chick expects Tobin to cuddle and stay the night. Because she doesn't. She's up and getting dressed as soon as she catches her breath. She always leaves with a quick "thanks, cutie," accompanied by a wink that convinces every woman not to go spewing the fact that she slept with the one and only Tobin Heath to anyone who will listen.

Tobin's still a bit high as she stumbles out onto the street after a text sent to her driver from the lobby, where she waited until he responded that he was outside.

She scoots into the back and asks him to take her back home, which he does, silently, just as she prefers.

A glass of wine and two sleeping pills later and Tobin is passed out in her bed.

She wakes up to a headache and a missed call from Whitney with a voicemail that's quite irrelevant so she ignores it in favor of making some coffee and taking some ibuprofen.

After her third cup she starts to feel better and decides she can function in the real world and that she should probably pick Jeff up from Amy's soon.

She strips out of her clothes from last night and then takes a short steaming shower. A pair of joggers and a t-shirt are accompanied by a snapback to cover her damp hair.

She decides to take the stairs down a couple floors to get her adrenaline pumping. But as soon as she opens the door to the stairwell, she can't even take a step before crashing into someone.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" The woman apologizes, even though she's the one who ended up falling on her ass

"Shit, no, it was my bad," Tobin offers a hand to pull the woman to her feet.

That's when she gets a good look at the woman. Green eyes, curly hair. Tobin's seen her before. She takes a moment to think about when that was, and it quickly clicks in her mind that this is Kelley's girl.

Did she somehow manage to find out where Tobin lives? Is she secretly a stalker? Nah, she's too hot to be a stalker... Unless that's what she wants Tobin to think.

"Oh, um do you mind if I get by you?" The woman questions timidly.

Tobin can't tell if this woman remembers who she is, but she steps aside regardless. "My bad, again."

The woman offers a small smile before brushing past Tobin into the hallway.

"Well, fuck," Tobin mutters to herself as she hops down a couple flights of stairs before she decides her blood is pumping enough to take the elevator the rest of the way down.

It doesn't take long to get to Amy's house, and the older woman only chats with Tobin for a short time before she lets Tobin and Jeff head out to hop in the car where Tobin's driver has been waiting.

"How was your night?" Tobin asks Jeff during the drive.

"It was good," Jeff says. "Ryan is a really cool baby. And Amy is super nice."

"Both of those statements are totally true," Tobin agrees.

"What about you? How was your party?" Jeff asks eagerly.

Tobin flashes back to the line of coke and the loud cheers of her friends, knowing she can't tell her brother about that part of the night. "It was okay. I met the woman Whit wanted me to."

"Cool," Jeff nods.

They let the conversation lull until they get home and Tobin offers to make lunch (she feels like a real adult, considering she _never_ eats lunch).

They just have some sandwiches at Jeff's request, but he laughs and grins as Tobin makes a mess of her peanut butter and jelly, and she'd never admit that it was intentional, but it's totally worth it to be this dorky if it makes her brother happy.

If Tobin has to be stuck with a kid for the foreseeable future, she's glad it's her little brother who's just as chill as she is.

They were really close when they were younger, and Tobin wouldn't mind getting that back. She feels like this might be a good way to stabilize her life.

And later on when she's getting ready for bed, she stops at her dresser, where her jewelry box is tucked in the top drawer with some random knick knacks (and her little baggie of coke and some weed and rolling papers, which kinda doesn't feel right.)

She digs out her cross necklace and holds it gently, as if it might disappear because of all the sins she's committed. But she clasps it when she holds it up around her neck.

Maybe this is the start of a better life for her.


	2. there's so much more than what meets the eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this chapter in like four different parts a d did my best to mesh them together but you'll probably be able to tell where I tried to bridge two separate ideas together. Hopefully that doesn't impact it too much, though.

"Rise and shine, Princess!"

Christen grumbles, waving her hand limply in protest of Kelley's presence.

Kelley laughs, pulling the curtains open and allowing bright light to stream into the room.

"Kel..." Christen whines.

"Come on babes, we've got a big day ahead of us," Kelley tugs the blankets off of Christen's bed. "I made pancakes!"

That doesn't seem to make Christen want to get out of bed any more than before, but she whines and tries to grab at her blankets again.

"Maybe you wouldn't need three blankets if you slept in more than just a sports bra and boyshorts," Kelley comments, dragging her eyes down Christen's body.

"Kel!" Christen squeals. "Don't be a perv."

Kelley rolls her eyes with a sleazy smirk. "Ain't nothin' I haven't seen before, Princess."

Christen hops up and smacks Kelley's shoulder. "Fuck off."

"Mmm why do that when I could fuck you?" Kelley teases.

Christen fumbles around at her dresser searching for some clothes, and Kelley enjoys the faint pink peeking through on Christen's cinnamon cheeks.

"You're an ass," Christen mutters.

"An ass with a great view of _your_  ass."

Christen straightens up, quickly tugging on a pair of joggers so her skin is hidden from Kelley and her teasing remarks.

She contemplates putting on a sweatshirt too, but she doesn't really want to overheat in her nice and warm apartment, so she has to settle on a baggy t-shirt that she knows wasn't originally hers but she can't quite remember where it came from.

Brushing by Kelley and out of her bedroom, Christen hopes the other woman will at least apologize for her teasing.

"Pressy, wait!" Kelley joins Christen in the kitchen, where there are pancakes, just as she promised.

Christen swivels around and raises an expectant eyebrow.

"You know I'm just messing with you, right? It's just so easy since you're so innocent," Kelley gently grabs onto Christen's shoulders. "I love you, Kid."

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Punk," Christen wasn't really mad to begin with, but she's glad Kelley can at least recognize when she takes things a little too far. "Now let's have some pancakes!"

Kelley grins. "I made your favourite. Is that a good enough apology?"

Christen pretends to consider it. "I suppose so..."

"I mean I could totally eat these blueberry nutella pancakes instead..."

"No!" Christen shouts. "Mine."

Kelley lets out a loud laugh. "Don't worry Princess, I'll stick to my banana chocolate chip ones."

Christen grins. "You're forgiven."

"Good. Now let's eat. I was serious about that busy day."

"With what?" Christen asks.

"Um, we have a meeting with my manager," Kelley announces, as if it is something Christen should already know.

"Why _we_?" Christen asks. "Why not just _you_?"

"Because you love me enough to come so I'm not alone," Kelley gives her best pout.

Christen rolls her eyes. "World class actress who can't go to meetings alone, real great combo."

"So you'll go?" Kelley asks.

"Yeah, yeah," Christen relents. "You're just lucky I don't have work. Although I'm mad you dragged me out of bed so early, I had a long day yesterday."

"Sorry Chris," Kelley says sheepishly. She knows how draining Christen's workday is, and she feels more than a little bad for forgetting about why Christen was still in bed at nearly nine, when she was usually up at five.

Christen shrugs. "Oh, hey, guess what?"

"You finally decided to have my babies?" Kelley grins.

Christen rolls her eyes. "You wish."

"Um, if there was a way to cross the O'Hara and Press genes, you bet I fuckin' would. Our babies would be gorgeous. You can't even deny it!" Kelley emphatically nods her head.

"I'll give you that one," Christen concedes. "But no, that's not it."

"Darn it," Kelley over exagerates her disappointment, just to get a grin out of Christen.

She succeeds.

"Okay, but really, what's up, Pressy?"

"You know that famous chick from that party the other night?" Christen asks.

"Which one?" Kelley questions. There were a lot.

"From that band... Something strange. I think it starts with a T," Christen was a little too tipsy that night, trying her best to quell her anxiety by throwing back several shots of whatever Kelley had ordered, but she knows it's some woman that Kelley has mentioned before. Christen may or may not let a lot of Kelley's rants go in one ear and out the other, though, so she can't be certain.

"Tobin Heath," Kelley supplies. "What about her?"

Christen doesn't miss the eager look in Kelley's eyes. She refrains from rolling her own. Kelley was very starstruck for essentially the entire night.

"I saw her here a couple days ago," Christen says.

"You're bullshitting me, right?"

Chrusten shakes her head. "I ran into her the other day. Like physically. Slammed right into her and landed on my ass. So either she lives here or she knows somebody who does."

Kelley's eyes widen. "Holy shit, Christen. _The_  Tobin Heath lives in the same apartment building as you! This is amazing! Maybe you two can be friends! And I can hang out with her and Alex Morgan!"

This time, Christen doesn't hold back her eye roll. "Calm down there, stalker. Maybe she was just visiting. I've never seen her around before."

Kelley either doesn't hear her, or she ignores Christen's rationality in favour of starting a rant about all the magical things that could happen if she could chill with the band.

Christen lets her ramble for a few minutes before cutting in. "Hey, Kel, didn't you say we have a busy day today?"

And that began a whole new tumble of words pouring out of Kelley's mouth as she ushers Christen around to get ready.

Kelley is intently focused throughout the entire meeting with Whitney, but Christen just stays quiet and tries not to fall asleep, not paying attention at all and cursing herself for not drinking more than the single cup of coffee she had this morning before Kelley whisked her away.

Thankfully, Kelley notices how drained her best friend still is, so she agrees to drop her back off at her apartment as long as Christen agrees to get brunch with her on Sunday. They almost always do, but Kelley just wants to make sure.

Christen is too busy texting as she exits the elevator and begins walking down the hallway towards her apartment that she doesn't notice the half asleep kid sprawled in her path.

That is, until she's taking a tumble towards the ground when her foot gets caught on his leg.

"Oh jeez, I'm so sorry!" He says, jumping up from him position leaning against the wall, so he's standing and can outstretch a hand in an offer to pull Christen to her feet.

She accepts, allowing the kid to help her up.

She takes a look at him, and nearly gasps at the black eye he's sporting. He can't be more than sixteen, awkwardly tall and lanky with a little bit of a baby face still.

He seems to notice what she's staring at. "I'm okay, I swear. Just got into a fight with some guys at the park."

Christen nods. "And you're laying in the hallway because...?"

"Oh! I kinda sorta forgot my key inside," He blushes.

"You're parents aren't home?" Christen asks.

"My parents are dead."

"Oh," Christen frowns. "I'm sorry."

"My sister's not home and she isn't answering her phone and I kinda wasn't supposed to leave the house at all, but I did and then when I got back I realized I forgot my key... So here I am, chilling in the hallway until my sister gets back," He rants.

"Do you want to wait in my apartment?" Christen finds herself asking.

His eyes widen in surprise. "Uh, I dunno. Stranger danger, right?"

Christen laughs. "My name is Christen Press. I live in 19B," She points down the hall.

"Jeff. 19A," He gestures behind him at the door he was previously slumped next to.

"Now we aren't strangers. You can continue to sit out here on the hard floor, but I've got a pretty nice couch if you'd prefer," Christen offers.

He nods slowly. "Okay."

Christen smiles, leading him down the hallway and into her apartment.

"This _is_  a nice couch," Jeff says plopping down on it.

"Thanks, it was a gift," Christen says.

And it is a _really_ nice couch. Like super expensive, that her parents bought as a housewarming gift because she wouldn't let them pay the down payment for her apartment.

"So, Jeff from 19A, do you forget your keys often? Why have I never tripped over you before?" Christen wonders.

"We just moved in. I'm not used to having to use a key," Jeff shrugs.

"Oh, I didn't even notice anyone moving in."

"Yeah I think they wanted to keep it lowkey," Jeff says.

Christen doesn't push the subject. "Do you want something to drink? I have bottled water if that makes you feel like I'm less likely to poison you."

"That would be great, actually," Jeff nods.

Christen heads to the kitchen for a moment to grab a bottle of water for the kid and a glass of it for herself.

Christen passes him the TV remote before plopping herself down onto the loveseat perpendicular to the couch.

"Is soccer okay?" Jeff asks timidly.

"Of course," Christen agrees.

Jeff grins. "As a kid, my sister swore she was going to be a professional soccer player one day."

"And did she?" Christen asks.

Jeff laughs. "No. She became a musician instead."

"I guess she's gotta be quite talented to be good at both. That is, if her dreams of playing professional soccer stemmed from talent," Christen says.

"She was really good," Jeff tells her. "We all thought she was gonna pull it off. But then she changed her mind, I guess."

"I used to think I wanted to play soccer for a living, too," Christen admits.

"What do you do now?" Jeff wonders.

"I'm a nurse," Christen says.

"Why did you change your mind?"

"I didn't think I was good enough," Christen shrugs. "Nursing was a safer choice."

"Well now I know that if there's ever an emergency, I can run down the hall and get you to come to the rescue!" Jeff grins.

Christen chuckles. "Oh, for sure. You should see the first aid kit I've got. Everything you could ever need."

"That's pretty cool."

Christen nods. "You should probably text your sister that you're here so she doesn't worry when she gets home and you aren't there."

"Good idea," Jeff agrees. "She'll probably kick my ass for leaving."

"Looks like someone beat her to it," Christen gestures to his face.

"I joined a couple kids playing basketball but I guess I pissed them off by showing them up in front of their girlfriends so they had to prove how manly they were," Jeff shrugs.

"Leg me get you some ice for that," Christen says. "Unfortunately that's about all I can do. Even as a nurse."

Jeff hisses when the cloth-covered ice comes in contact with his throbbing eye, but he stays silent as he and Christen watch the game that's playing on TV.

The peace is rudely interrupted by a pounding on the front door, and Christen hops up and rushes to open it before the person kicks it in.

"Oh," Christen gasps as she recognizes who's on the other side.

The woman shoves right past her, into the living room where Jeff is.

"What the hell, Jeffrey? I told you not to leave the apartment!"

Jeff shrugs. "I was bored."

"What happened to your eye?" The woman reaches out to tilt his head up so she can get a better look, but Jeff shakes her off.

"I'm fine."

She scoffs. "And then you come into some stranger's apartment? Did getting hit in the face knock out all your common sense?"

Jeff shrinks into the couch.

"Hey," Christen steps in. "Take it down a notch."

Honey coloured eyes meet Christen's gaze.

"Don't tell me what to do," The woman snarls.

"Well, in case you didn't notice, _Tobin_ , you're currently standing in my living room."

Recognition sparks in Tobin's eyes as her temper cools off and concern for her brother no longer clouds her brain. "You're O'Hara's girl."

Christen laughs. "Not really. But _you_  are Tobin Heath. And this is your kid brother who did what teenagers do and ignored rules. Take it easy. He already got punched in the face."

Tobin rolls her eyes. "Jeff, let's go."

Jeff stands slowly. "Bye, Christen. Thank you for letting me chill on your couch."

Christen offers a smile. "Any time."

Tobin herds Jeff out of the door, handing him her keys so he can get inside their apartment. She lingers by the door, and Christen comes to stand across from her.

"Sorry I barged in and started shouting," Tobin directs her apology towards the floor. "I'm not used to this whole 'parenting' thing."

"It's fine."

Tobin looks up into Christen's eyes. "I guess you aren't stalking me, then."

Christen tilts her head in confusions.

"When I ran into you the other day at the stairs, I was wondering what the hell you were doing in my apartment building," Tobin explains. "But I guess I was the one invading your space."

Christen chuckles. "Just wait until Kelley finds out you actually live here. She's a little bit obsessed with you."

"Eh. Most girls are," Tobin winks.

Christen rolls her eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

Tobin nods, smirking. "Yep."

"Guess I'm not most girls, then," Christen smirks right back.

Tobin's smirk slips into a pout. "Oof. That hurts."

"Sorry, superstar. Write a song about it," Christen teases.

"Oh, but you do know who I am?"

"I did just tell you my best friend is obsessed with you. Or rather, obsessed with Alex," Christen clarifies.

(She may or may not have done a quick Google search on the woman on the drive to Kelley's meeting.)

Tobin frowns. "You're killing my ego here."

Christen just grins.

"Alright... What was your name again?" Tobin asks, realizing she thinks this woman is super hot but doesn't actually know her name.

"Christen. Christen Press."

"Alright, Christen Press. We'll see how long it takes me to win you over," Tobin tells her.

"Good luck with that," Christen scoffs.

Tobin shoots her a grin. "I won't need luck."

"Sure you won't," Christen rolls her eyes.

Tobin crosses the threshold into the hallway, taking a few steps before turning and sending Christen a wink. "See ya around, Press."

"Yeah," Christen mumbles as she closes the door.

She slumps against it.

"Holy shit, that just happened."

Kelley finds herself once again out at a club later that night. She isn't used to being the type to go out every Friday night, but Whitney says it's good to expand her network.

This time, however, she's heading in alone, without Christen as her security blanket, which totally sucks, but she knows Christen needs rest.

So she walks in and instantly begins looking around for anyone she even vaguely recognizes.

When she doesn't spot anyone, Kelley heads to the bar in hope that a little bit of alcohol might loosen her up.

She's nearly finished with her second drink when someone slides up next to her.

"You have nice abs."

"Excuse me?" Kelley looks up, and she's majorly surprised to see Alex fucking Morgan leaning against the bar counter in front of her.

"In your movie. The scene at the waterfall. Totally sexy."

Kelley is hopeful that the dim lighting of the bar will hide her blush.

"Oh, um, thank you," She chokes out.

Alex sends her a wink. "Woulda been better if that sex scene was with the best friend instead of that guy, but he was cute too."

Kelley can barely form words. "Uh, yeah, totally."

Alex smirks. "I'm assuming you know who I am?"

Kelley nods. "Alex Morgan."

"And you're Kelley right? Whitney's new signing."

"Yeah."

"Killer party the other night," Alex tells her.

"Thanks, all I did was show up," Kelley chuckles.

"Oh, I like you," Alex grins as she snatches Kelley's glass and downs the rest of her drink in one gulp.

"Thanks?"

"C'mon, cutie, let's go to the back, it's way more fun," Alex latches her hand onto Kelley's, giving her a tug.

Kelley follows along helplessly.

Alex Morgan is holding her hand.

Kelley thinks maybe that doesn't make up for the fact that the back lounge is filled with a lot of things Kelley isn't comfortable with.

The smell or marijuana is pungent, and Kelley's eyes begin to water just a little.

She counts at least three open bottles of pills that certainly don't contain allergy meds, and she's pretty sure at least two groups are snorting cocaine.

Unfortunately, one of those groups is the one Alex leads her to.

She recognizes a couple faces, though she can't place them all, but most notably, the one and only Tobin Heath is in the center of action.

That makes Kelley even more uncomfortable, because she kinda thinks Christen might sorta be developing a little crush on the enigmatic musician, if the phone call she got earlier in the day is any indication. And drugs is one hundred percent a deal-breaker for Christen.

"Guys, look who I found!" Alex announces.

Kelley isn't sure if she's imagining the glare Tobin sends her, or if it's just the hazy lighting, but all she wants to do in that moment is get the hell out of there.

God must have heard her silent prayer because suddenly, all the attention is pulled away from her.

"Hi guys!" A trio of clearly drunk blondes stumbles up.

"Allie, what the fuck?" Tobin jolts, sitting straight upright.

Allie lets out a giggle. "What?"

"Get them out of here!" Tobin stands up.

Kelley is surprised at how sober she suddenly looks. Maybe she misjudged what Tobin was up to in here.

"C'mon, Tobs. Don't be a buzz-kill," Allie complains.

Tobin grabs onto one of the girls as she starts to stumble. "I swear to god, Allie, they better just be drunk."

Allie has already moved on to plopping on the couch and preparing herself a line of white powder.

"O'Hara, help me with her," Tobin jerks her head toward the other swaying blonde.

Kelley is grateful for the out, whether Tobin recognized she needed one or not.

Kelley goes to take a step, but Alex tugs on her hand, pouting. "Don't leave so soon. The fun hasn't even began."

"Alex!" Tobin's tone is sharp, and Alex grumbles as she releases her grip.

"You're cute," the blonde slurs at her.

"Sonnett," Tobin warns.

The blonde frowns.

"You're cute, too," Kelley assure her quietly, eliciting a grin.

She can hear Tobin ranting lowly to the tall blonde she's dragging out of the lounge.

Tobin rests the woman against the bar as she pulls out her phone and types something.

"You're no fun," Tobin's blonde complains.

"Yeah!" Kelley's blonde, _Sonnett_ , chips in. "You're not our mom!"

"Yeah, and you're not twenty-one. So really, I'm just doing you a favor," Tobin snaps back.

"Okay, _mom_ ," Tobin's blonde lets out a laugh.

Tobin checks her phone, and then heaves her blonde up and begins dragging her towards the door.

"I'm nineteen," Sonnett tells her. "Just so ya know. I'm not a kid."

Kelley rolls her eyes. This girl, this _woman_  is really trying to hit on her right now. When she's drunk off her ass and stumbling and leaning a lot of her weight on Kelley for assistance.

She thinks idly that the blonde may be playing it up so she can press more of her body against Kelley, but that could just be her imagination.

Tobin leads them out into an alleyway, and they guide the blondes to a car at the end of the alley.

Tobin opens up the door and gives her blonde a gentle shove inside. "Buckle up, Linds."

The blonde grumbles a reply that Kelley can't quite hear.

Tobin then turns her attention to Kelley and Sonnett.

"Em, let's go," Shs says in the gentlest tone Kelley has heard from her all night.

"She's warm," Emily tightens her grip on Kelley.

" _Emily_ ," Tobin's tone is firm but quiet, and Kelley wonders why she's being so _soft_  with this woman.

Emily finally lets go of Kelley, but she turns to face her instead of heading to Tobin. She presses a sloppy kiss on Kelley's cheek. "Call me," She winks.

Kelley catches Tobin rolling her eyes. "Smooth," she snickers as she nudges Emily into the car.

Emily waves enthusiastically towards Kelley before Tobin shuts the door and turns to face Kelley.

"Thanks," Her tone is flat, but Kelley can see that her eyes are earnest.

Kelley just nods.

"Listen," Tobin says quietly. "Alex is great. But I don't think she's someone you want to get involved with."

She doesn't say anything else, or act like she's willing to hear a reply from Kelley, so she watches Tobin climb into the passenger's seat, and then she watches the car drive away.

Suddenly Kelley feels cold and alone in the dim alley.

"Saw you leave."

Kelley flinches at the voice that sounds from behind her. She closes her eyes and prays she's not about to be mugged, or _worse_.

But when she turns, she sees Ashlyn Harris, standing a good few feet away from her.

"I can give you a ride home," Ashlyn offers. "I figured Tobin wouldn't."

"Uh..." Kelley fumbles for words.

Ashlyn chuckles. "Sorry. You don't know, me, right. Stranger danger and all that. I'm Ashlyn Harris."

"I know," Kelley says. Then she blushes, hoping that didn't sound as creepy as she heard it. "I'm, um, I'm Kelley. O'Hara."

"I know," Ashlyn's eyes glimmer with mirth, or the streetlight casting a dull spotlight on them.

"You're not gonna kill me?" Kelley asks.

Ashlyn chuckles. "Nah, but my fiancèe might if I leave her inside any longer. So, how about that ride?"

Kelley nods. "Okay."

Ashlyn begins leading her back into the bar that suddenly seems much stuffier than it had before.

Of course, Ashlyn's fiancèe is the one and only Ali Krieger. Kelley has always loved watching the other woman act, and she tells her as much while they're following Ashlyn to the parking lot.

"Aw, thank you, sweetie!" Ali grins.

Kelley is surprised to find out that Ashlyn actually drives instead of having a driver.

She makes casual conversation with the couple as Ashlyn follows her phone's directions to Kelley"s apartment complex.

"You know, I almost auditioned for that movie you were in," Ali tells her. "But I was still filming for my TV show so I couldn't. I think you did your character justice."

"Thanks," Kelley says. "That means a lot coming from someone like you."

Honestly, Kelley is really shocked that so many of these women that she's aspired to be like are actual nice humans and not some sort of soulless robots.

She thanks the duo for the ride, and then heads up to her apartment, where she lets out a massive sigh and then collapses into bed.

Sunday mid-morning rolls around and Kelley finds herself in the lobby of Christen's apartment complex waiting for the woman to get back from her morning run.

"Hey, cutie."

Kelley looks up at the voice, meeting a semi-familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Look who's finally sober," Kelley smirks.

"Shh," The woman rolls her eyes. "I was having a rough night."

Kelley shrugs. "Whatever you say, blondie."

The woman plops herself down on the couch next to Kelley.

"What brings you here to this wonderful lobby?"

"My best friend is out and I forgot my key to her apartment at my own," Kelley says.

"Oh," The blonde, who Kelley knows is Emily Sonnett, seems intrigued by the information.

"What about you?" Kelley wonders. She's never seen this woman around before.

"I'm about to be a babysitter for a fifteen-year-old," Emily tells her. "My friend doesn't trust him after he pulled a stunt the other day."

"Does this friend happen to be Tobin Heath?" Kelley asks.

Emily nods. "How did you know?"

"Her kid brother ended up in my best friend's apartment after sneaking out," Kelley assumes Emily has at least a vague knowledge of the situation.

"Shit, your friend is Tobin's hottie neighbor?" Emily's eyes widen.

"Yeah I guess she's pretty hot," Kelley agrees.

Emily frowns a little at the sparkling look in Kelley's eyes.

"Kel?"

Both women look up.

"Hey Chris," Kelley grins.

"Who's your friend?" Christen wonders.

"This is the drunkie I was telling you about," Kelley says. "From the other night at the bar."

Christen raises an eyebrow, confusion clear on her face. "Okay...?"

"Oh!" Kelley laughs a little. "She's Tobin's friend. She's waiting for her. Isn't that neat? Tobin Heath lives right down the hall from you."

Christen rolls her eyes. "It's _totally_ amazing."

Kelley ignores Christen's sarcasm. "It is."

"Okay, well, I need to take quick shower and then we can head out," Christen says.

Kelley hops to her feet, sending a smirk to Emily over her shoulder. "See you around, blondie!" She struts after Christen who is already halfway to the elevators.

Emily slumps back into the couch. "Well shit," she mumbles to herself.

"You okay, Em?"

The blonde flinches, caught off guard. "Yeah, I'm good."

Tobin furrows her eyebrows skeptically.

"Girls are weird," Jeff complains from behind his sister. "Tobin can we go up now?"

Tobin rolls her eyes. "Two seconds, Jeff. C'mon, Em, you two have a fun day ahead of you."

They're loud in the elevator, and this time when Emily is stumbling around, it's because she's laughing so hard she can't walk straight, and Tobin is grateful for that.

She loves that her friends are meshing with her brother so seamlessly, though leaving Jeff and Emily to their own devices today may not be the smartest of ideas. She trusts them both to at least stay out of major trouble, and at least she won't have to worry about Jeff sneaking out alone.

Jeff hasn't been here very long, but Tobin thinks maybe he really will end up loving California as much as she does.

She hopes she can be his home now, and give him the happiness he so deserves.

Maybe this whole situation won't be as bad as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to find me on tumblr with any questions.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I'm not sure this is what you expected, but I hope you stick around for more of it that might get you hooked. Find me on tumblr at llostt-in-ttranslationn or leave a comment here if you'd like!


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